Weather forecasts and sky charts...

[snarkyboojum]

I've been searching around on this site and the wider web for excellent astronomy sky charts and weather forecasts.

One of the best I've found is http://cleardarksky.com/c/SydnyNSkey.html. Is this what astronomers on IIS tend to use?

Does anyone else have any other suggestions for trying to stay informed about the abysmal cloudy conditions in Sydney?

A frustrated new telescope owner :sadeyes:

[redbeard]

Skippy Sky is a good one I use.

http://www.skippysky.com.au/

Cheers,

Damien.

[mithrandir]

I think you'll find that is for Sydney, Nova Scotia. SkippySky is the one you want.

[snarkyboojum]

Ah, silly me. Yes, Sydney Nova Scotia :)

Thanks for the tip!

[pluto]

I'm in Sydney (the one in Australia ;)) and I use the BOM, Skippysky, Weatherzone and occasionally accuweather. They very rarely all give the same forecast although I find the cloud percentage on the weatherzone 48 hour forecast to be the most accurate.
However at the moment it seems all over the place, some nights are predicted to be clear and the day will look good but then the clouds will roll in at sunset :(

[Wavytone]

Most forecasts (including the BOM) have three issues you should remember:

a) "fine" only means "not raining". It doesn't mean clear sky.

b) The forecasts are generally for daytime weather conditions, not night-time; and hence forecasts are often quite wrong at night. So you shuld learn to read the synoptic map, and the satellite cloud image to predict for yourself how it will change in the next day or two (it isn't hard). AFAIK there is only 1 site that gives reasonable forecasts for night-time. http://m.yr.no/place/Australia/New_South_Wales/Katoomba/

c) there is a moderate correlation between the phase of the moon vs the presence (or lack) of cloud in the evening: the likelihood of evening cloud between third quarter and first quarter (when we observe) is higher than the likelihood between first to third quarter.

[Joshua Bunn]

you could also look at 7timer astro forecast here:
http://www.7timer.com/index.php?product=astro&lon=117.881&lat=-35.022&lang=en&ac=0&unit=metric&tzshift=0&site=

Josh

[OzEclipse]

Taki's star atlases are excellent and freely downloadable as PDF's

http://www.geocities.jp/toshimi_taki/atlas/atlas.htm
is a wide field atlas showing stars to naked eye limit.

He also has a mag 8.5 atlas

Joe

[RobF]

Skippy and BOM Access. Skippy uses US NOAA (I believe?) and BOM is a separate australian model. If they agree, you're in business :thumbsup:

http://www.cawcr.gov.au/staff/ljr/projects/forcloops.htm

[madbadgalaxyman]

Mr Boojum,
Sydney is not a good place for visual observing, so you will have to do what a lot of us do in order to get a clearer sky.......

Best is to pack that 'scope in the car and head a long way West (at least, best to head west, at most times of the year), as I well know from my many years of regular visual observing in the Sydney Region.

There is a strong rainshadow effect due to the North-South Ranges, so when you cross the ranges and reach the Western side of the tablelands, it is often much clearer than in Sydney.

Oberon/Sofala/Lithgow still get "mountain weather" which is cloud formed due to the effects of the mountains, but by the time you reach Bathurst, Orange, and further west, it is often a lot less cloudy than Sydney. Parkes, for example, is even less cloudy than Bathurst.

Better still, move to Brisbane, which is, on average, less cloudy than Sydney: by the time you reach Goondiwindi (inland from Brisbane), the average daytime cloudiness is only 2/8 !!

I often used to observe in State Forests near Orange (very dark and much less cloudy than sydney), though sometimes it would already be a clear sky immediately West of the ranges.
But if Orange was still a bit cloudy, I would head out to Parkes, and sometimes this did the trick....the Sky would be clear enough.

cheers,
mad galaxy man

Get out those topographic maps of the Western Slopes and Tablelands and find yourself:
a radio repeater station; or a state forest; a cleared hilltop or mountaintop ; or a farmer's property
(most farmers don't mind you observing on their property, as long as you first tell them what you will be doing at night; sometimes, $20 will also encourage the farmer to let you observe).
All these are good options for finding a rural observing site without obscuring trees.

[snarkyboojum]

Thanks everyone. Appreciate the feedback/links/advice. I particularly enjoyed reading your post madbadgalaxyman :)

Cheers all.

[skysurfer]

And this ....

http://www.7timer.com/index.php?product=astro&lon=151.2&lat=-33.801&lang=en&ac=0&unit=metric&tzshift=0&site=

The one from http://cleardarksky.com/c/SydnyNSkey.html seems totally wrong with all the coming days overcast sky. 7Timer gives a complete different prediction.
Further, a local time of GMT-4 in SYD which should be +11 !